


Monster Mash

by Fictionwriter



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Lewis Fright Fest 2016, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-27 22:04:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8418820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fictionwriter/pseuds/Fictionwriter
Summary: “Tell me again, sir, why we are here.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to moth2fic for the quick and efficient beta and to the mods at lewis_challenge for presenting another Halloween fright fest.

_They did the mash,_  
_The monster mash,_  
_it was a graveyard smash_  
  
  
“Tell me again, sir, why we are here.”  
  
James felt Robbie’s gaze on him, the steady look unfathomable.  
  
“Because something ghoulish this way comes and my guess is we’ll find it here,” Robbie said finally.  
  
James gazed around the graveyard, at the tombstones that stood out in stark relief against the darkening sky like so many crooked teeth in a black maw.  
  
“Just because two bodies were found in a cemetery it doesn’t mean that another one will turn up in this graveyard,” James responded, the memory of the torn corpses fresh in his mind. “Or that there will even be another one.”  
  
“A ghoul’s haunt is the graveyard and the dead, according to the Arabian Nights that is,” Robbie said, then continued at James’ startled expression. “Come on James, you’re a clever man, you’d know what a ghoul is.”  
  
James blinked once, then twice. He wasn’t used to his boss being the one to invoke literary or even mythical references. But even more startling was the fact he seemed so serious. Then Robbie grinned and James realised he was having him on.  
  
“A monster or evil spirit that consumes human flesh,” he intoned and was rewarded with an approving look from the Inspector. “Still don’t know why we’re here though. You do realise that ghouls don’t exist outside someone’s vivid imagination, don’t you? Just in case you were expecting one here.”  
  
Robbie didn’t respond to the tease, just swept his gaze out over the graves as if he was expecting to see something that James couldn’t, and that worried him. Everything about this situation was worrying, including Robbie’s strange imbalance of humour and reticence.  
  
Robbie had moved further into the collection of graves and James followed. His boss seemed to be looking for something, stopping to crouch every so often and check a tombstone or the dirt that surrounded it.  
  
“If you won’t tell me why we’re here you could at least tell me what you’re looking for,” James said.  
  
“Evidence,” came the laconic reply, then Robbie relented. “Call it an old detective’s fancy if you want. I thought there might be something here to see, that’s all.” He brushed dirt off his hands and stood. “Come on, it’s getting too dark to be here. Let’s go.”  
  
Even more bewildered, James kept in step as they started back towards where they had parked the car such a short time before.  
  
Robbie was right, the evening darkness was turning to pitch black with an unnerving speed making it difficult to see the path in front of them. This was an ancient graveyard in Oxford’s outer boundaries, unlit by streetlamp and with starlight providing only a faint glow to light their way until an errant moon would come out from the cover of a drifting cloud, only to disappear again in another. Shadows leapt around them as they walked, fuelling James’ imagination as phantoms appeared to move within and without the ever changing landscape of light and dark.  
  
They were nearly at the gate of the graveyard when he realised the forms he’d seen from the corner of his eye were true shapes, not imaginings. They were crouched at a grave, one to either side, bent to whatever task occupied them with undivided intent.  
  
He stopped, staring, trying to work out what their task was, wondering what anyone other than themselves would be doing in the graveyard at this time of the evening. The moon chose that moment to escape a cloud and the scene he was watching coalesced into understanding as light flashed on long talon shaped nails that dipped in and out of the dirt, going deeper with each thrust.  
  
Robbie shouted, bringing James out of his trance. Both figures turned towards the sound and the moonlight caught them full in the face. They were rail thin, their bodies gaunt in appearance, the cloaks they wore unable to conceal their skeletal faces and James shuddered at the sight, hoping it was a trick of the shadows again rather than reality but somehow knowing it wasn’t.  
  
The world stood still for a moment; the obscene figures by the grave were now motionless, James held in thrall as he gazed into their soulless eyes. Then the spell broke as one of the figures lifted its hand and pointed a bony finger at him, emitting a loud eerie cry that froze James’s breath in his throat. Both figures shifted sideways in strange crab-like movements; bowing, posturing then twirling with dizzying speed in some wild and fanciful dance, drawing closer to where he and Robbie were standing. But their attention was focused on James and their cries became louder and shriller so that they pierced through his brain and he had to put his hands over his ears in an attempted to block them out.  
  
“Stop!”  
  
It was Robbie who shouted. Robbie who pushed him backwards and stepped in front of him, and Robbie who stretched out his arm as if to physically stop the creatures with the force of his will. Amazingly they did stop, their wild dance coming to an end, their cries stilled to almost whimpers. The creatures stared as Robbie began to move towards them, his arm still outstretched. They retreated a few steps then sat, staring as Robbie too came to a stop.  
  
“You will not have him, or any other. You have caused enough death.” Robbie’s voice was low pitched, almost caressing, but if anything the gentle tone seemed to make the creatures cringe and shriek even more.  
  
“James,” Robbie murmured without taking his eyes off the creatures before him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you here.”  
  
James didn’t know what to say, the pronouncement so strange as to be unanswerable, so he just shrugged. Robbie nodded, somehow knowing of James’ acceptance without even looking at him.  
  
“Good,” he said. “Now close your eyes.”  
  
James obeyed but why he did he had no idea. It didn’t stop the images though, or the bright cascading coloured lights that flashed across his closed lids and seemed to surround him in a heat wave that burned through his body, making his senses reel. It was magical and seductive, making James want to surrender to the splendour of it all. His head spun as shrill screams punished his eardrums again. Then everything faded away into a blank nothingness.  
  
~~~  
  
“Are you all right, James?”  
  
James opened his eyes, confusion clouding his mind. The graveyard was quiet, peaceful and Robbie was looking at him with concern, his hand clasped to James’ arm.  
  
“What was that? What did I see?” James asked, unable to piece things together.  
  
Robbie didn’t answer him straight away, just continued to look at him with worried eyes that didn’t quite meet his.  
  
“What do you think you saw?” he asked finally.  
  
James thought for a moment, remembering images, lights and fear, then a kind of ecstasy but the more he tried to grasp the details the more vague and illusionary they became.  
  
“I’m not sure,” he said. “There was something there, by one of the graves. Something not … right.”  
  
Robbie looked around as if seeking out the source of James’ visions.  
  
“There’s nothing here, James. It’s been as quiet as the grave since we got here,” Robbie said, a slightly amused smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “You just stopped all of a sudden and started staring off into space. Thought you were having an existential moment.”  
James shook his head, trying to clear it and followed Robbie’s gaze. He was right, there was nothing there; no vaguely remembered shapes, no lights, just the tombstones and moonlight.  
  
“Come on.” Robbie gave him a push. “Enough of your daydreaming, or rather, night-dreaming. It’s late. I’ll let you buy me a pint then we can grab some takeaway, on me.”  
  
_No, nightmares_ James thought as he allowed himself to be propelled towards the car. But the memories were fading with each passing second turning more into random phantom thoughts than anything based on reality. Robbie was right, there was nothing out there in the darkness, just his own imagination. And Robbie wasn’t some strange being who commanded light.  
  
James huffed out a silent laugh at that last thought and Robbie gave him a questioning look before opening the car door.  
  
“Nothing,” James told him, ignoring the tingling feeling that came with his accidental touch of Robbie’s hand as he settled himself in the passenger seat. “I fancy Chinese tonight, what about you?”  
  
Robbie grinned at him and started the car.  
  
Fin


End file.
